Chapter 84

Update Time: April 7, 2013

Wishes are beautiful, but reality is cruel. Zhang Yang thought of all the people he had met since coming to the capital, but found no one he could use. They say you regret not having read enough books when you need them, but now he regretted not having enough connections when he needed them.

Zhang Yang felt a bit regretful about his argument with Hong Yaqin. With her connections, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to meet Duan Fei. But it was too late to say that now. Why did he lose his temper so badly just now? He could only wait for Hong Yaqin to contact him. If he contacted her first, all his efforts would be in vain.

After thinking this through, Zhang Yang lay down on the bed in dejection. Perhaps this was life—things don't always go as planned. On the other hand, this might be a good thing. "A man loses his horse, how can he know it's not a blessing?" Zhang Yang could only console himself this way.

In the morning, Zhang Yang decided to visit the Palace Museum today. He didn't plan to gamble on stones for the next two days. There were only two days left until his appointment with Liang Puzi, and he intended to make a stunning impression on that day. For now, he needed to keep a low profile. Moreover, from his conversation with Hong's father, he realized that collecting antiques was a refined hobby, and the people involved were more complex, which was a good opportunity for him.

Last night, Zhang Yang had a deeper understanding of the importance of connections. At critical moments, connections could be even more valuable than money. Right now, Zhang Yang had enough money to smooth the way to meet Duan Fei, but he couldn't even find the right channels, let alone talk about giving gifts. Money was a good thing, but it was tragic if you didn't even have the chance to use it. Therefore, Zhang Yang decided to accelerate his efforts to expand his network and not stay in his small circle anymore.

Pan Hui was very surprised because Zhang Yang had been unusually quiet since he woke up, unlike his usual habit of finding fault with her. Was Zhang Yang really changing?

Zhang Yang put down his bowl and chopsticks and suddenly looked at Pan Hui, saying, "Change your clothes and come with me later."

Pan Hui's heart sank. She had been too happy too soon. Sure enough, here it came again.

"Is there something wrong? I still need to clean the house," Pan Hui said.

"Change your clothes when I tell you to. No more nonsense," Zhang Yang said, his face showing displeasure.

Pan Hui bit her lip, remembering her resolve to endure for a month, and nodded in agreement.

A while later, Pan Hui came out wearing the same outfit she had on when she first met Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang's face turned sour, immediately remembering how he had been deceived by this outfit and expression. He angrily shouted, "Change again."

Pan Hui looked at Zhang Yang in confusion, "What's wrong with this?"

"Change if I tell you to," Zhang Yang said, too lazy to explain.

Pan Hui turned back to the bedroom. A few minutes later, she came out with a hesitant voice, "Is this okay?"

Zhang Yang turned around and was stunned.

Pan Hui was wearing black tight pants, high-heeled long boots, a white T-shirt with a large round belt at the waist, a black leather jacket, and a dark green leather bag. Her long hair fell over her shoulders.

Was this a maid? She looked more stylish than any white-collar worker.

Zhang Yang was amazed, never dreaming that Pan Hui would look so good when dressed up.

"Boss, is this okay?" Pan Hui asked again, a mischievous smile flashing in her eyes. "You messed with me, so I'll show you today."

Zhang Yang coughed and said, "It's passable. Let's go."

He opened the door and walked out. Pan Hui proudly stuck out her lip, put on a white-rimmed black sunglasses, and followed Zhang Yang out.

In the elevator, Zhang Yang was still a bit dazed. If he had known Pan Hui would look so beautiful when dressed up, he wouldn't have asked Wang Luoyao to accompany him. It seemed that in this world, there were no ugly women, only lazy ones. Even a maid could look so beautiful, which was quite surprising.

Pan Hui stood behind Zhang Yang, secretly smiling, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

If she hadn't been so angry with Zhang Yang, she wouldn't have dressed like this. Pan Hui knew how much a beautiful woman could attract a single man, but seeing Zhang Yang's stunned look was worth it.

Once in the car, Zhang Yang returned to normal. He wasn't a naive young man, and Pan Hui's outfit confirmed one thing for him: she was definitely not a virtuous wife and mother. Who had ever seen a virtuous wife and mother dress so provocatively?

Not far from the residential area, Zhang Yang stopped the car by the roadside and instructed Pan Hui, "Go to the supermarket and buy paper and pens."

Pan Hui didn't argue and got out of the car to enter the nearby supermarket.

Zhang Yang lit a cigarette and thought about the visit to the Palace Museum. Soon, Pan Hui returned to the car, wrinkling her nose at the smoke-filled cabin. She looked at her clothes with concern; in such a small space, it wouldn't take long for her to be filled with the smell of smoke, which was very annoying.

Zhang Yang started the car and drove for a while, then casually asked, "Pan Hui, what did you do before?"

Pan Hui looked at Liu Jian nervously, "Why are you asking this?"

"I realize I don't know anything about you. Look at your outfit; nothing about it looks like a maid's," Zhang Yang said.

Pan Hui explained, "Who says maids can't have nice clothes? Besides, what I did before has nothing to do with my current job."

"Seeing you so nervous, I was just asking casually. As long as you're not a murderer or a fugitive, it doesn't matter to me! Just follow my instructions and write down what I tell you, no questions, got it?" Zhang Yang said.

Pan Hui breathed a sigh of relief, "Got it! By the way, where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," Zhang Yang said.

Soon, Zhang Yang brought Pan Hui to Tiananmen Square and pointed to the Tiananmen Gate, "We're going there today!"

This was the first time both Zhang Yang and Pan Hui had visited the Palace Museum. Once inside, they looked around in amazement, their eyes not enough to take everything in.

Zhang Yang looked at the grand architecture and thought of his childhood dream of visiting the Forbidden City in the capital. He never imagined this dream would come true so easily. The excitement was indescribable.

"Really beautiful and big!" Pan Hui exclaimed.

Zhang Yang asked, "You've been in the capital for a long time, haven't you visited the Forbidden City?"

"I don't have the money," Pan Hui said.

Zhang Yang looked at Pan Hui skeptically, "You can't afford a few dozen yuan for a ticket? Who are you trying to fool?"

Pan Hui huffed and didn't argue. Back then, she couldn't even afford food, let alone have the mood to tour the capital. But what was Zhang Yang up to today, taking her to the Forbidden City?

"Let's go, stop looking. We don't have much time," Zhang Yang said.

Pan Hui followed Zhang Yang and asked, "Aren't we touring the Forbidden City?"

"Just follow me," Zhang Yang said.

The Palace Museum has fixed exhibition halls for antiques. The Ceramic Gallery is located east of the Taihe Gate Square, with the main hall, Wenhua Hall, and the main hall, Zongjing Hall, as the first exhibition room. The two side halls, Benren Hall and Jiyi Hall, are the second and third exhibition rooms, displaying over 400 ceramic masterpieces. The Painting and Calligraphy Gallery is located in the Wuying Hall area west of the Taihe Gate Square, showcasing the development of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy from the Jin and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Jade Gallery is located in the Zhongcui Palace of the Inner Court's East Six Palaces, displaying jade masterpieces from various dynasties. The Gold and Silverware Gallery is located in the Jingyang Palace of the Inner Court's East Six Palaces, exhibiting Qing dynasty gold and silverware masterpieces. The Bronze Gallery is located in the Chengqian Palace and Yonghe Palace of the Inner Court's East Six Palaces. Additionally, there is a Donation Gallery in the Jingren Palace of the Inner Court's East Six Palaces.

Of course, the Palace Museum has many more exhibition halls. It's impossible to see everything in one day. Zhang Yang didn't plan to see everything in one day. The above halls were already determined by him before coming. They covered the main categories of antiques.

These were the places Zhang Yang planned to visit today. He wanted to use these genuine items to gradually confirm what the colors he saw represented and from which period they came. Once the time was determined, the rest could be left to Baidu.

Regardless of the value of the item or whether it was a masterpiece, once the time period was confirmed, the rest was easy.